United change fees

I think we were all on Southwest, but if anyone was booked on United, they will waive the change fee. 

Here is the link. 

http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/travel/news/Pages/travelnotices.aspx?v_ctrk=HHLN$0-772-2045-1-1156

Change of plans.

The National Weather Service issued a "winter storm watch" for Tulsa, and the league decided to cancel the games this weekend. 

ಠ_ಠ

So...make sure you cancel your hotel reservation. I'm told you have until 4pm Friday to do that, but why wait? Same with air travel and rental car if you had one.

Try to keep your Saturday open, we may schedule a friendly with the '99 or '01 girls.

Now, what's cooler than being cool?

ICE COLD!

In case you haven't looked at the forecast, it is supposed to be very cold in Tulsa this weekend. Bone chilling cold. Houston-would-shut-down-completely cold.

The lows are going to be in the teens, the highs below freezing. It's supposed to snow on Friday and perhaps Saturday and Sunday too.

Now...take that with a grain of salt. Forecasts are always wrong on some level. It's been said you could take all the economists in the world, and all the meteorologists in the world and have them swap jobs, and no one would notice. However, we should plan on the worst case scenario.

In addition to your full kit, and including the long sleeve jersey, I would recommend some sort of base layer. Gloves and a hat will be important. If your daughter plays a position where she is expected to make throw-ins, make sure the gloves have some sort of grip.

Off the field, staying warm will be a priority. Make sure you bring the warm-up suit at a bare minimum. I would think while sitting on the bench, you'll want at least one extra layer. Substitution rules are different in NPL - once you come out, you can't go back in for that half. We will have fewer substitutions.

Just as a reminder, 6:00-8:00 PM today and Wednesday.

Into December

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I have a couple things to report. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the week off. Next week we will train 6-8pm on Monday and then again at 6-8 on Wednesday. We will take Thursday off, since many of us will be traveling on Friday. 

As you may have noticed, ODP tryouts are the same weekend as the Tulsa trip. If your daughter is interested in ODP, please let me know ASAP. The deadline to register is December 3. 

Here is the link:

http://www.stxsoccer.org/ODP/index_E.html#.UpeGsee9KSN

Thanksgiving week

We will be off the week of Thanksgiving. So enjoy the time off, recover and recuperate. 

We will be back at it on Monday, December 2 and that week before Tulsa. After Tulsa, we will have another break until January. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for the girls' strong performances lately and that everyone should be back to being healthy soon!

Ryan

This weekend and more...

As you know by now, this weekend will be the last two SCL games for the season.

Saturday we play Challenge - Aggieland at 4:00pm at Burroughs Park #1. We are the away team, so we will wear white. Be sure to bring navy too.

Sunday we play our make up game against Challenge. The time of this game has changed to 12:00 noon. We are away on this one as well, so I hope you don't mind doing some laundry Saturday night. We'll wear white again. But be sure to bring navy. Kat will be joining us on Sunday, so be sure to make her and her family feel welcome.

We are too far behind in the standings to win SCL, but these games still matter! The bottom two teams are at risk of going back down to EDDOA. 

I think everyone is squared away for Tulsa. If anyone has questions, concerns, issues, please let me know.

I am told that our long sleeve jerseys are shipping out today, which means we should have them well before Tulsa. And my guess is we will need them there.

Our plan is to continue practicing until the games in Tulsa, except for the week of Thanksgiving.

See you this weekend!

RC

Saturday in San Antonio

One more week of travel. We play Classics Elite on Saturday in San Antonio at 1:00 PM. This is the same place and the same team we played there last time. 

The fields are at:

11600 Starcrest Drive

San Antonio, TX 78247

Let's shoot to be there at noon. For those of us driving up Saturday morning, we will need a little extra time to loosen up after being in the car. 

I know eating on the road can be challenging, but let's try to fuel the girls with something healthy before the game. The heavier the meal, the more time they'll need to get it down before the game. Plan accordingly. 

It looks like it will be a beautiful day. The forecast is for sunny and 73 degrees. It may be a little windy however. 

We are the home team, so let's wear NAVY. Please bring the entire white kit though. 

If you've checked the SCL standings lately, you know that we are still in the hunt, although it will be a tight finish. I think the best plan here is to win these last three games convincingly. 

Do me a favor and pass this along to your daughter... On the drive up, let her put on some headphones and her favorite music, and encourage her to close her eyes and spend 10-15 minutes visualizing how she wants to play in the game. She knows what position she's likely to play, she knows what she's capable of, and she knows what it takes to win. Have her construct that image in her head, so that when game time comes, she has already "seen" how it unfolds - with a win. 

RC 

October 26 Game

Saturday October 26 we play the Lonestars 00 at Burroughs Park (field 2) at 2:00 PM. 

We are the home team, so let's wear NAVY, but bring the entire white kit. 

Y'all saw Mark's email this week, and there's not much I can add... Let's get a big win tomorrow. 

Also, you may have noticed that our game with Challenge that got cancelled last weekend has been moved to Sunday, November 10 at 10:00 am. 

Next weekend we are in San Antonio at 1:00 PM. 

October 19 game - UPDATED

This is the game to win. We are playing Challenge. They are on top of the bracket. We tied them earlier, and I think we outplayed them. 

We are back at Burroughs Park on field #1 at 10:00. Let's wear white, and bring navy. Please arrive before 9:15. In case you haven't noticed, our second halves tend to be better than our first halves, so it's imperative that we get in a proper warmup. 

The forecast is showing a temperature of 61 at game time and a 40% chance of thunderstorms, so be prepared. I'll send out an email and post here if there is a change due to weather. 

RC 

UPDATE - game will be rescheduled due to water on the field. Stay tuned. 

Saturday in Austin

I think you all know that tomorrow's game is in Austin. We are playing the '01 Lonestars. 

Game time is 3:00 PM. Let's try to be there an hour before, it may take a little longer to warmup after being in the car. (Remember how well the second half went in San Antonio?)

Be aware that there is a chance of rain. 

Google maps says it's about a 2.5 hour drive from my house. The fields are at the Northeast Metro Park. The address is:

2703 E. Pecan Street Pflugerville, TX 78660

Let's wear white, and you know what I'm going to say next....bring navy. 

The other thing we should bring is the attitude, athleticism, confidence, and desire to win big. 

I truly believe that we have the strongest team in SCL. In each game so far, we have shown that we can be the dominant team. The score hasn't always reflected that, but that's soccer sometimes. My request is for the girls to leave no doubt about just how good we are. 

More Tulsa info

The hotel we are looking at is the Hilton Garden Inn - Midtown. 

http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/oklahoma/hilton-garden-inn-tulsa-midtown-TULMDGI/index.html

Several other Express teams will be there. 

United has more direct flight options, but Southwest has a couple of direct flights as well. It looks like this one has potential.

Friday - Depart at 3:25pm, arrive at 4:50pm
Sunday - Depart at 12pm, arrive at 1:30pm

I am planning on renting a van or large SUV or something. So, I'm happy to help people get around. 

Tulsa Travel

December 7th and 8th we have NPL games in Tulsa OK. 

It is about an 8.5 hour drive from Houston. As of right now, flights on United are only $217 (Although that may be higher under a group rate - there are only a handful of tickets at that price). My plan is to fly, and from the sounds of it, that is what most people are leaning toward. 

We can book through the group travel or we can pick a flight or two and let everyone handle their own situation. 

If you want to just send your daughter, that should be fine. I think we will have enough parents on the trip to properly watch the girls. 

I'm working on hotel, so stay tuned on that.

For now, I just want to poll the audience and see who's coming, who's sending their daughter on alone, who's flying, who's driving and so on. 

If you have any concerns or comments, feel free to call or email me.

713-504-5049

ryan@craneonline.com

Wear white - navy - white tomorrow.

Just wanted to be sure everyone saw the change... We are wearing white - navy - white tomorrow. Although since everyone is bringing everything, it shouldn't matter. 

Drive safe. See y'all there. 

Saturday in San Antonio

First off, I want to tell you how excited I am about this Saturday. If you happened to see the girls on Monday or Wednesday, you would have noticed that it was like watching them on fast forward. Everyone was a little more intense, moving faster, and hustling for every ball. We've been playing well, but something seemed to really click this week. My theory is that it's just taken 8 weeks for the fitness to come back.Whatever the reason, I'm excited to see more of it on the field on Saturday.

Ok, now on to logistics....

From the West U. area, Google maps says it's about a 3 hour drive. I realize that early in the morning it's possible to make even better time, but this is not one we should cut close. I'm planning on leaving at 6:00 a.m., and allowing time to stop and get some breakfast on the way, and let Claire stretch the legs and move around a bit. My guess is that we will need a little extra time to get warmed up and psyched up after a long car ride. So let's definitely be there a full hour before game time. Game time is 11:00 a.m.

The address is:

11600 Starcrest Drive
San Antonio, TX 78216

Map of the fields

I am thinking we are wearing WHITE - NAVY - WHITE, but please bring everything, socks included.

And finally...
Remind your girls that they are elite athletes! Get plenty of rest Friday night. Eat a healthy breakfast Saturday morning, but finish eating at least 2 hours before game time. It doesn't look like it's going to be that hot, but it won't hurt to sip on some water on the way up.

Questions, comments, concerns? See you this weekend!

RC

More schedule revisions.

Our Saturday rain out has been rescheduled for Sunday 10/6 at 2:00 at Burroughs. 

This coming weekend is in San Antonio. I'm assuming that everyone is coming. Please let me know if you're not going to be able to make it. 

Upcoming Travel

As you have probably noticed on our schedule, we've got some away games coming up.

9/28 in San Antonio at 11:00 am.
10/12 in Austin at 3:00 pm.
11/2 in San Antonio at 3:00 pm.

Obviously, it won't be too difficult to drive up the day of the games, but it's possible some of you may want to drive up the night before, or maybe make a fun weekend out of the trip. (The Crane family will probably stay in Austin that Saturday night).

I just wanted to make everyone aware. If we need to work on some long distance carpooling, let me know.

9/21 and 9/22 games UPDATED

We have two games this weekend. Sunday is the makeup game from the first weekend. Both games are at Burroughs.

There is some weather coming through on Friday and possibly Saturday too. I will keep y'all posted, but I wanted you to be aware of the possible field closures. 

Wear white on Saturday and navy on Sunday. But please remember to bring both to each game, and try to be there at least 45 min before game time. 

Saturday 9/21 at noon

Burroughs field #2

vs. Lonestars 00 red

We are wearing white. 

Sunday 9/22 at 8:00 am 10:00am

Burroughs field #6 #7

vs. Lonestars 01 red

We are wearing navy.

Burroughs is closed on Saturday. There will be no Saturday game.

Sunday's game has moved to 10:00.

NPL dates - UPDATED

Check you calendars. We've got some tentative dates for NPL games.

12/7-8 in Tulsa and 3/15-16 at Space City. 

I realize it is a long way out, but please let me know if you have any conflicts. 

UPDATE: It looks like 3/15 is the beginning of Spring Break for most of us. We are working on moving that one.

9/14 game - UPDATED

We are playing Challenge tomorrow at 10:00 am at Burroughs Park - the same place as last weekend, except we are on field 1 this time. 

A couple things to note... I will not be there. So, it would be great if someone could bring a tent for the girls. I will send the benches along with someone. 

Also, you may have noticed we had a uniform conflict last weekend. So, it is imperative that the girls bring both complete kits with them every time. There is no standard uniform convention in SCL, other than the home team having the obligation to change if there is a problem. We are the home team this weekend. Wear navy, but bring white. Socks and all 

In my very amateur opinion we looked a little flat last Saturday, so please, no sleepovers, no staying up late. Lets get a good meal in the girls, and help them get fired up. We've seen how good they can be when they have some confidence and they play "big girl soccer". Lets do everything we can to enable them to deliver that kind of performance. 

I'm sorry I won't be there. Maybe someone can send me text message updates from the sidelines. 

Also, you may have noticed from the schedule, our game that got rained out (lightninged out?) has been rescheduled for next Sunday, 9/22, at 8:00 am at Burroughs. 

First SCL game

Saturday is our first State Classic League game.

We play at Burroughs Park in Tomball on field 2. The address is 9738 Hufsmith Rd.

Here is a map.

We play the Lonestars '01 team. Game starts at noon, so let's be there at 11:15 at the latest. It's a bit of a drive, so plan accordingly.

We are the home team. Let's wear white, but as always, please bring navy.

I saw some very tired kids out there this week. Please make sure your girls get a good night sleep tonight!

Quarterfinals!

We made the quarterfinals. 

We will be playing the Fury from Oklahoma at 3:00pm at the same complex we just played (High Point Park), but this time on field G. Lets be there at 2:15. I'm assuming we will be in NAVY, but please bring white. 

-Stay hydrated. 
-Eat a decent lunch, nothing too heavy...but something substantial. They all burned a lot of calories this morning, and will have to do it all over again. 
-Stay out of the heat and keep them off their feet. Tell them: When you're standing, sit. When you're sitting, prop the feet up or even lay down. 

Ryan

Saturday in Plano - Updated

We are wearing navy, but please bring white with you.

By now, you have seen the schedule for Saturday, and you probably realized how close together the games are and that they are at different fields. We're going to have to work a little more than normal to overcome these logistical challenges to help our girls perform. Nutrition and hydration is going to be critical.

Nutrition and Logistics:

I would recommend getting the girls a good breakfast -- it may be tough to eat a full meal for lunch in between the games. Since we won't realistically be ready to leave the first game until noon, and we will want to be at the second game by 1:00, there won't be enough time to go anywhere. Michelle is going to coordinate a run to Potbelly Sandwiches at halftime of the first game and pick up food for anyone who would like to opt in (parents and siblings included). They'll be back before the first game is over, and can distribute food to the girls at the end of the game. I think our best option is to retreat to our cars, and eat in there with the AC on high. The second field is about 10 minutes away. 

Be thinking if you have a special request from Potbelly. I think it goes without saying that something simple will be best for the girls. If Potbelly doesn't appeal to you, then feel free to choose a different option. If you're not familiar with the menu, there is one here:

http://potbelly.com/Food/OurMenu.aspx?subPage=Sandwiches

Hydration

The forecast is for a high of 102. Claire's ER visit last year will hopefully serve as an important reminder of what can go wrong. Tomorrow on the drive up, make sure your daughter is sipping on a water. Likewise for Saturday morning. I'm going to have extra ice, water, and sports drinks on hand during and after the game. 

I have had success with a drink called Pure Sport. It's like gatorade, but has a little more to it, including some protein. I'll be bringing some with me, the girls are free to have some. Also, if you don't mind them having a little caffeine, I've got some Jelly Belly Sports Beans on hand (some with caffeine, some without). It's only 50 mg, which is about the same as a diet coke. 

Injuries

I know a couple of the girls have had some mild injuries. I'm bringing lots of KT tape with me. If anyone wants to get taped up before the games, let me know. Applying the tape at the warmup just doesn't work. It won't stick if you're sweating even a little. That being said, if you apply it to clean, dry skin, it can last for days. Just send me a text Saturday morning before we head out and I'll be happy to tape anyone up. It's not a miracle cure, but in some cases I think it is worth using. 

Shade

I've got an official Houston Express canopy that the girls can use at the games. It's a little bigger and heavier than the ones we've been using, so I may need a little help with the transport. Those of you have have brought canopies in the past, you may want to still bring them for the parents!

Dinner

Saturday night we have a reservation at Macaroni Grill at 6 that should accommodate all of us.

I told the girls today that they need to play well enough to force me to make us another reservation for Sunday night. 

Maps

Map from hotel to first game
Carpenter Park - Field J

First game to second game

High Point Park - Field E

6500 Alma Drive

Field Map: http://www.pysa.org/UserFiles/files/Maps/HighPointMapDirections.pdf

Plano Tournament Schedule

The schedule changed and is now back online. As of today, it looks like this:

8/31/2013
Girls U14 Gold
Game	Time	Home Team		Away Team		Location
Bracket 2
#1199	10:30 AM	AZTECS FC LADY AZTECS FC 00 (TXN)		HOUSTON EXPRESS 00G NAVY (TXS)		Carpenter Park J
#1200	1:30 PM	ANDROMEDA FC 00G (TXN)		HOUSTON EXPRESS 00G NAVY (TXS)		High Point Park E
9/1/2013
Girls U14 Gold
Game	Time	Home Team		Away Team		Location
Bracket 2
#1209	9:00 AM	HOUSTON EXPRESS 00G NAVY (TXS)		AUSTIN TEXANS 00G (TXS)		High Point Park D

However, this is still subject to change. Check the link at the right for the latest information.

Update: Saturday friendly is now at 8:30 am

Slight timing change for this Saturday's friendly vs the U15 team. We will now start at 8:30. So please arrive at 8:00. We will wear navy on Saturday and white on Sunday. Sunday is still on for 9:00 am.

Weekend Scrimmages

We are putting together a friendly game vs. our very own 01G Navy team. Lena, Milan, and Farise did a great job on blending in with our team on Sunday. So I'm sure it will be a good challenge for us to go up against them.

We are tentatively planning on 9:00 am on this Sunday at L1.

UPDATE: We are also going to have a Saturday morning game against the U15 Navy team.

Please respond to this survey to let me know if you can make it. You should be able to view the results on the front page of the blog. 

Welcome to the Houston Express 00G Navy team blog

Welcome! In an effort to minimize emails and to have a consolidated source of information, I have created this blog. I recommend that you bookmark this page and check here regularly to see what's going on. Of course, I'm happy to keep sending emails in conjunction with this, but I know how emails get missed, deleted, or buried in a spam filter (which may be justified in my case).

-Ryan